Gearing device.



G. P. RASGK.

GEARING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. 14, 1912.

1,087,980. Patented Feb. 24, 19m

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

\L 0 0 j 44 l o 0 WITNESSES: i I INVENTOR. MA! eoz q'eefifiascjc ATTO NEY.

GEORGE P. RASCK, OF DES Iv'IOINES, IOWA, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN DE WITT, OF KEOKUK.

IOW'A.

GEARING DEVICE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE P. Rasox, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Des Moines, Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Gearing Device, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a gearing device of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, particularly adapted for use in connection with washing machines and wringers, and in which all of the parts are arranged to occupy a minimum of space.

A further object is to provide a gearing device for imparting a reverse motion to the wringer in which sliding keys and the like are not employedto thereby add to the efliciency and longevity of the several pinions employed in my device.

A further object is to provide means whereby two or more pinions, on separate shafts, may be shifted at one and the same time by moving one lever.

A further object is to provide readily accessible means for operating the shifting means employed in the device.

These and other objects and advantages of my device will become readily apparent upon a further understanding of my invention.

Hy invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of the various parts of my device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a washing machine and wringer equipped with my invention, part of the gears and casing being broken away to show the construction; Fig. 2 shows a detail sectional view of the gearing device attached to a wringer as viewed from the rear of the wringer; Fig. 3 shows a plan view of a portion of a washing machine equipped with my device, with the top of the gear casing removed; Fig. 4 shows a detail view of the means employed by me for connecting the pitman to the secto-r. Fig. 5 shows a detail view of the means employed for, moving one of the shifting levers, and Fig. 6 shows a detail view of the manner in which the shifting rod is connected to the sliding pinions.

Referring to the accompanying drawings it will be seen that I have used the reference numeral 10 to designate the tub 11 the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 14, 1912.

of the lower Patented Feb. 24, 1914. Serial No. 736,857.

wringer and 12 the wringer rolls, all of ord nary construction.

I wringer shaft is a spur gear "13. Directly 1n line, in a lateral direction with this gear wheel, but on a separate shaft, is a similar spur gear 14, supported 7 by a shaft mounted in a bearing on the casing l 5. Arranged at points substantially 6C1L11-Cl1$i12111l3 from the centers of the gears 13 and 14 and also substantially equi-distant from each other, are three small shaft-s,

16, 17, and 18 all rotatably mounted 1n the casmg 15 near the bottom thereof.

Mounted loosely on the shaft 16 is a sleeve.

19 having formed at one end a wide pinion 21 and on the other a groove 20. Fixed to the shaft 17 and in mesh with the pinion 21 is a narrower pinion 22, slightly spaced apart from the pinion 22. and loosely mounted upon the same shaft 1s another pinion 23, having formed at one side a groove 24 said groove being positioned exactly in line with the groove 20 on the first described pinion and sleeve.

In position between the grooves 20 and 24 with its end fitted into the said grooves, is a shifting bar 25 clearly shown in Fig. 6. In the exact center of the bar 25 is an openmg into which is rigidly fitted a shiftmg rod 26, said rod extending outwardly through the side of the gear casing, and along the rear side of the wringer frame to the opposite end of the frame, for the purpose of shifting the pinions, as hereinafter described.

On the shaft 18 at its outward end is fixed a bevel gear 27 and on the same shaft, but on the interior of the casing is fixed a clutch member 28 Adjacent to this clutch member, and on the same shaft is a loosely mounted pinion 29 in mesh with the gear 14. At one side of the pinion 29 is a clutch member 30 coacting with the member 28 and at the opposite side is a groove 31 into which is fitted a shifting bar 32 extending downwardly and rearwardly to the bottom of the casing, where it is provided with a sleeve 33 to receive a shifting rod 34, hereinafter described. A sleeve 35 is rigidly secured to the shaft 18 and fixed on one end thereof is a pinion 36, in mesh at all times with the pinion 22 On the opposite end of the sleeve is another pinion 37 in mesh with .the

Fixed to one end. i

sliding pinion 23 All of the pinions on the third shaft are slightly larger in diame ter than the other mentioned pinions for the purpose of effecting the proper speed. An arm 38 formed integrally with the gear casing and extending outwardly from the lower side of the wringer frame has a hear ing 39 formed at its outer end, and into this hearing is mounted a shaft l0 Said shaft extends downwardly and forwardly along the side of the tub, where it is fitted into a bearing 41 on a platform 42. Fixed to the upper end of the shaft lO is a beveled pinion .3 in mesh with the gear 27 Near the lower end of the shaft is fixed a beveled gear l-ll: in mesh with a pinion L5, on a motor 4.6 which motor is preferably mounted on the platform :6 77

Referring to Fig. 8, it will be seen that the dolly pitman at? enters the casing through a slot l7 and is connected at one end to the gear 1%. This connection is effected by means of a pintle L8, fixed to the spur gear l t, and a loop 49 mounted on the pintle, the ends of the said loop being fitted over the ends of the pitman, and there pivoted. The pitman at its outer end is connected to a sector 50 said sector being pivoted near its center to a pin 51 rigidly secured to the cover. The periphery of the sector is provided with a set of teeth in mesh with the pinion on the dolly shaft.

It of course important that the connection between the sector and pitman be made to permit the raising of the cover, and this result is accomplished in the following manner: The end of the pitman 47 is journaled to fit an opening in the loop 54 and held therein by means of a nut 55 or the like. At right angles to the pitman is a connecting member 56 also journaled to enter the loop below the pitman and held therein by means of a pin =37 or the like. The opposite end of the member 56 enters the forked end of the sector and is pivoted therein by means of a pin 58. This connection is best shown in at.

It will be seen that power from the motor is transmitted through the shaft 40 to the beveled gear 27 on the shaft 1 then through the clutch members, to the p1nion 29 and thence to the spur gear 14 The spur gear in motion causes the pitman to reciprocate, thus moving the sector and thereby causing the dolly to rotate back and forth at the desired speed. The clutch members are employed for throwing the dolly in and out of motion. The shifting of the clutches is accomplished by means of the shifting arm 32 in the groove 31 on the pinion 29 The arm 82 as before stated, is connected to the shifting rod f at This rod extends along the wringer frame to a point on the opposite side, where it is pivoted to a crank 539 fixed on the end of a journaled roller 6O which. roller is mounted on a bracket 61 0n the wringer frame. By rotating the roller on which the crank is fixed, it will be seen that the shifting rod will be moved back and forth a sufficient distance to cause the clutch members to engage and disengage. This movement is limited to keep the pinion 29 and spur gear 144: in mesh at all times. For rotating the roller an arm (32 is employed. When the arm is in its upper position the clutch members are disengaged, and when moved to its lower position the clutch members are moved to ei'igagement. Thus, it is obvious that the dolly can be started or stopped independently, of the wringer, at the will of the operator. Another feature to be noticed in this connection is the arrangement whereby the shifting rod 34 passes through the two sides of the casing where are formed long bearings for it to work in. This holds the rod in rigid posi tion at the point where the arm 32 is at tached and permits the pinion to be shifted with great ease and positiveness. Further more, this arrangement leaves the casing entirely closed at its bottom so that it can be tilled with grease for lubricating purposes.

For operating the wringer, it is of course understood that the shaft 18 is always in motion when the motor is running. The pinions 36 and 3T being fixed to the shaft, are of course continuously in motion. \Vith the gears in the position shown in 2, power is transmitted from the pinion 23 to the spur gear 13 which is fixed to the wringer shaft. This operates the wringer in one direction. For reversing, the shifting mechanism before mentioned is employed.

The rod 26 pivoted at its outer end to a lever 63 which lever extends through a slot 64L in a bracket 65 and is pivoted to the bracket. Said bracket is in turn secured to the wringer frame. Three notches are provided in the lower edge of the slot for holding the lever in place, the notches at each side being designed to receive the lever when the wringer is operated in either direc tion, and the middle notch being to receive the lever when the wringer operating mechanism is in neutral position. Thus, it will be seen that by moving the lever 63 to the central notch the pinion will be disengaged from the spur gear 13, while the pinion 21 will not be moved far enough to engage the spur gear 1S This will, of course, leave the wringer in its inoperative position. Then, by moving the lever to its extreme outward position the pinion 21 will engage the spur 13 and cause the wringer to be operated in an opposite direction. It will be noted that by having the rod 7 device.

enter at the center of the arm 25 a uniform force is exerted on each of the sliding pinions, and the operation is therefore made easier and more positive. 7

It will be noticed that I do not employ keys, square shafts, and the like, for shifting the gears in my device, but on the contrary all gears are either rigidly secured to the shafts or left free to slide or rotate inde pendently of the shafts. This is especially desirable inasmuch as the keys and the like that are usually employed for sliding gears very frequently wear, thus casing unnecessary noise and loss of motion in the gearing Another feature is to be found in the convenient manner in which I have ar ranged the driving mechanism for the dolly. Here it will be seen that the driving pinion 29 is at all times in mesh with the spur gear 14 and the operation of throwing the dolly in and out of motion is made easier inasmuch as the clutch members are capable of engagement much more easily and readily than are gear wheels. The danger of stripping the gears is thereby entirely eliminated.

IVhile I do shift gears in and out of mesh to operate the wringer, it will be understood that the danger of stripping the gears in this case is not present inasmuch as the wringer is more easily operated and is moved at a considerably less speed than the dolly.

I desire to emphasize particularly the ingenious and simple mannerv by which the wringer is reversed, viz.-the sliding of two gears on separate shafts by one and the same lever. This arrangement greatly simplifies the Work of the operator.

On the whole my construction permits a compact arrangement of the working parts and a readily accessible location for the operating levers. The work of assembling is' greatly facilited because of the fact that all of the important parts are contained in the one casing and there is not therefore any necessity for alining shafts or other intricate work requiring the services of a skilled mechanic.

' It is to be understood that minor changes can be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 1s:

1. A gearing device of the class described, comprising in combination, a frame, a shaft in said frame, a spur gear fixed to said shaft, three shafts circumferentially arranged below said spur gear, a loosely mounted pinion on the first one of said three shafts designed to mesh with said spur gear, a fixed pinion and a loosely mounted pinion on the second of said three shafts, said fixed pinion being in mesh with the first-mentioned sliding pinion and the other pinion being designed to mesh with the spur gear, a fixed pinion on the third one of said three shafts in mesh with the fixed pinion on the said second shaft, a fixed pinion on said third shaft in mesh with the loosely mounted pinion on said second shaft, means for sliding said loosely mounted pinions on their shafts to engage and disengage said spur gear, and means for imparting a continuous rotary motion to the third one of said shafts. e

2. In a gearing device of the class described, the combination of a frame, a shaft on said frame, a spur gear fixed to said shaft, three shafts circumferentially arranged about said spur gear, a loosely mounted pinion on the first one of said three shafts designed to mesh with said spur gear, a fixed pinion and a loosely mounted pinion on the second one of said three shafts, the fixed pinion being in mesh with the-first mentioned loosely mounted pinion and the loosely mounted pinion being designed to mesh with said spur gear, a fixed pinion on the third one of said three shafts in mesh with the fixed pinion on said second shaft, a fixed pinion on said third shaft in mesh with the loosely mounted pinion on the second shaft, means for sliding said loosely mounted pinions simultaneously on their shafts, so that when one of said pinions is moved out of mesh with" the spur gear the other is moved in, and means for imparting a continuous rotary motion to said third shaft.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame, a shaft thereon, a spur gear fixed to said shaft, three shafts circumferentially arranged about said spur gear, a loosely mounted pinion on the first one of said three shafts designed to mesh with said spur gear, a fixed pinion on the second one of said three shafts in mesh with said loosely mounted pinion, a loosely mounted pinion on said second shaft designed to mesh with said spur gear, fixed pinions on the third one of said three shafts in mesh with the fixed pinion and loosely mounted pinion on said second shaft, means for sliding said loosely mounted pinions on their shafts to cause them to engage and disengage said spur gear, a bevel gear fixed to the end of said third shaft, a bevel pinion in mesh with said bevel gear, a shaft for said bevel pinion, a bevel gear fixed to said bevel pinion shaft, a motor armature and a bevel pinion thereon in mesh with the last-named bevel gear, substantially as and for the purposes stated.

4. In a device of the class described, the combination of a wringer shaft, a spur gear fixed thereto, two shafts arranged below said spur gear parallel with said wringer shaft,

a loosely mounted gear on each of said parallel shafts, having a hub formed thereon provided with an annular groove, an arm fitted into said grooves, a shifting rod fitted into said arm a shifting lever therefor, and means for imparting opposite rotary motions to said loosely mounted gears.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame, a shaft thereon, a spur gear fixed on said shaft, two shafts circumferentially arranged about said spur gear parallel with the shaft thereof, a loosely mounted gear on each of said circiiunferentially arranged shafts designed to mesh with said spur gear, said loosely mounted pinions being offset, an arm between said hubs provided with concave ends to enter said grooves, a shifting rod fitted into said arm and extending outwardly along said frame, a shifting lever pivoted to said rod and to the frame for moving said rod to t-l'lereby simultaneously shift said pinions in and out of mesh with said spur gear, and means for continuously rotating said pinions in opposite directions.

6. In a gearing device, the combination of a frame. a shaft thereon, a spur gear on said shaft, three circumferentially arranged shafts about said spur gear, a loosely mounted pinion on the first one of said shafts designed to mesh with said spur gear, a fixed pinion and a loosely mounted pinion on the second one of said shafts, said fixed pinion being in mesh with said loosely mounted pinion first-mentioned, said second mentioned loosely mounted pinion being designed to mesh with said spur gear and ott set from the first-mentioned one, said loosely mounted gears being provided with hubs having annular grooves formed therein at opposite points, an arm between said hubs provided with concave ends to enter said grooves, a shifting rod having one end fitted into said arm and extending outwardly along said frame, a shifting lever pivoted to said rod and to said frame for moving the rod to thereby shift said pinions, looselymounted, simultaneously in and out of mesh with said spur gear, fixed pinions on the third one of said three shafts in mesh with the fixed pinion and loosely mounted pinion on said second shaft, and means for impart ing a continuous rotary motion to said third shaft.

T. in reverse gearing for wringers, a driven gear, two offsetgears slidably arranged on separate shafts in position to mesh with said driven gear, means for sliding said offset gears simultaneoiisly. and

means for rotating said offset gears in opposite directions.

8. In reverse gearing for wringers, a driven gear, two oppositely rotating gears slidably arranged on separate shafts in positions to mesh with said driven gear, means for retaining said oppositely rotating gears in a relatively fixed position offset from each other, and means for sliding said gears.

9. In reverse gearing for wringers, a driven gear, two oppositely rotating gears slidably arranged on separate shafts in positions to mesh with said driven gear, and spaced apart in a lateral direction, and means for sliding said oppositely rotating gears to effect an engagement of either one with said driven gear or to position where said gears will occupy disengaged positions on opposite sides of said driven gear.

10. in reverse gearing for wringers, a driven gear, two offset gears slidably arranged on separate shafts in position to mesh with said flrivcn gear, means for sliding said offset gears to effect an alternateengagement or disengagement of either one with said driven gear. and oppositely rotating gears in mesh with said offset gears and so arranged that a constant mesh is maintained between them.

ll. in a wringer, the combination of a frame, a wringer shaft, a gear on said wringer shaft, two offset gears slidably arranged on separate shafts in position to mesh with said gear on the wringer shaft, means for imparting opposite rotatable movements to said slidable gears, an arm extending between said slidable gears for retaining them. in a fixed relative position, a shifting rod secured to said arm and extending along the wringer frame, and a lever on said frame for moving said rod.

12. in a gearing device for wringers, the combination of a wringer shaft gear, two shafts arranged about said gear parallel with the axis thereof, a slidable gear for each of said shafts designed to mesh with said wringer shaft gear, means for rotating one of said shafts, a fixed gear on said rotatable shaft in mesh with the slidable gear on the adjacent shaft, and means for sliding simultaneously said slidable gears to permit them to alternately engage and disengage with said wringer shaft gear.

Des Moines, fowa, December 10, 1912.

GEO. P. RASCK.

Vi itnesses V. A. Lorrus, l'lAZEL SMITH.

Copies oi. this patent may be obtained for five cents each. by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington. D. C." 

